Kicker
by Avi Halliwell
Summary: Chris chooses to send piper into his memories of the future to convince her he really is here to help, but what dark secrets will she find? His future isn't a place of smiles...  M only 4 overall theme of the future, probs ok at T, but just in case
1. Chapter 1

"You can't come into our lives, pull my family apart and just expect us to trust you!" Piper yelled in a fury. She flung her arms about as she spoke and blew up the pot next to Chris. He, on the other hand wasn't showing anything but the desperate attempt to hide his emotions, mostly pain. It felt as if someone was wringing out his stomach. He tensed up so bad his forearm started to shake, and with it, the room. His telepathy was growing stronger and harder to control in the past. He cursed under his breath. Piper couldn't know. She had no clue that he is a witch, and it had to stay that way. He gritted his teeth. "You just show up and send us on an endless demon hunts making it seem like we don't care about Wyatt. We don't even know who you are! I'm not going to trust some neurotic, pathetic excuse of a Whitelighter, who can't even heal, from the future!"

"Piper, please. All I want to do is help. You know that! You don't think I have life back home, that I don't miss my family and friends? I'm sacrificing everything just to save your son. I'm risking my own existence for your son! All I am doing is for _you_. And one day, when you're living in a future where the sky is blue and the sun is shining and you haven't ever heard someone screaming bloody murder in the house next to you, maybe then you'll realize how important your duties were as a charmed one. How some guy from the future made it possible to raise your kids in a peaceful world."

"I know how important it is to be a charmed one, Chris. Now you have to realize how important it is to have a normal life. Unless you can give me a hell of reason why I should blow your ass back to the future right now, you're going to have to leave. I don't trust you around my son. My _only_ son."

"Okay, just don't say I didn't warn you." He turned and left, orbing midway to the door. Piper collapsed onto the couch, her face in her hands. She could hear Paige and Phoebe bickering down the hall about the water temperature and tried zoning them out. When the room when dark and silence, she focused on her breathing until she realized the room wasn't the room anymore. Her visibility was shot, at a short two foot radius. The next time she blinked, she was laying on a cold cobblestone road. The sky was grey and there was a stench of burning flesh hanging in the air. Buildings were decaying while weeds were overtaking the last bloomed wildflower. She stared at its violet petals, being suffocated by a demonic vine.

"Hey! You there! Turn around with your hands over your head!" A voice boomed. It echoed down the barren street. A gun cocked and a bullet soared towards the alley. Piper jolted around, bringing her arms up in surrender. Her heart was beating fast. The man commanding the orders was looking in her general direction, although even though his eyes were directed at her, she had a strange sensation he wasn't speaking to her. It was almost as if he was glancing beyond her, or through her. She slowly lowered her hands and studied the man. He didn't seem to notice her movement. His uniform was stiff with sweat and there was dirt under his poor kept nails. A bead of sweat came down his face, dripping to his neckline. Piper heard soft footsteps behind her, and a man in a black sweatshirt appeared. He walked with a slight limp, and held a terrible cough. His dark brown hair was overgrown and matted, his face cut, bruised, and sooty. He doubled over in a coughing fit and the general once more fired towards the sky. The young man stayed hunched over and bore his exhausted eyes at the general.

"You here to kill me?" He wheezed one more time.

"Show your card, now!" The general was growing impatient with the sick man. A hand reached into a back pocket and the young sick man took out a form of ID from a worn out leather wallet, filled with now worthless currency. He reached out his arm, ID held in his hand, waiting for the general to come by and inspect it. Moments before his card was taken, the sick man collapsed in a heap of the shivers, too weak to keep standing. The water in the puddle soaked through his sweatshirt and covered his ID in dirt. The only visible thing on the card was the stamp on the lower right. "Eh. Killing you is going to be easier than I thought."

"Stan, please." The man lifted his head and begged for his life. The general took in the vision of the sick man in a new light after hearing his name and felt a weight in his stomach. "Please."

"Son of a bitch, man, you should have joined when you had the chance… _He_ gave us the cure, kicker… You always came in first. You were always the fastest. Guess life's just another heat." The general took off his cap in respect and let a tear slip out. His lower jaw was trembling. "Should have joined when you had the chance…"

Piper stood, taking in the scene. She wanted to scream. The sight was so warped. They obviously knew each other. The general cared about him at least at one point in his life, so why didn't he help? She walked closer to the sick man and sat with him believing he doesn't deserved to die alone, even if he couldn't see her. Finally seeing his face close up, she recognized his eyes and soon saw the familiar face of her Whitelighter. His breath slowed and he fell asleep, right there on the ground.

Piper sat against the brick wall of the alleyway and watched Chris sleep, checking for a pulse every few moments. She wondered if this was the point in his existence where he made the transition to being a Whitelighter. In the hour she sat there, not a soul passed by. It was the heart of the city, and not a soul passed by. She desperately wished she could move him out of the cold, but no matter how hard she tried the world wouldn't let her change anything. She stroked his face, no longer caring if he could of couldn't sense her. She watched his eyes flutter open a bit.

_"Mom?"_ He used all his strength to move his arm in Piper's direction, causing her to tear when the arm when through her as if she was a ghost. The sight of his fever induced hallucination made her shake with sorrow. _"Mom…"_

"I'm here, Chris. I'm here!" Piper yelled, even if he couldn't here her, even if she believed she wasn't his mother. She truly felt for him, for the first time. Seeing him in this vulnerable of a state caused her motherly instincts to act up. As she yelled, she could swear his faint smile was his response.


	2. Daddy Issues

A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews and story alerts! They made my day :)

Also, story disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot twists I think of and some of the characters I add in. All Charmed references belong to the lovely creators of Charmed :)

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><p>The next memory smelled of chlorine. It was hot and muggy. Piper began to sweat right away. However, despite the uncomfortable surroundings, the atmosphere that surrounded her made up for it. A lively crowd cheered in the stands. Piper was on deck, stuck in a mob of swimmers. Two of which, she recognized. Her Whitelighter was waiting behind the timers in Jammers, listening to his friend's music. The bleached blonde boy had chosen his favorite pump up song for his best friend. The fair haired boy seemed so familiar. It was itching to Piper. Chris pulled out the headphones and got ready to race. As he stood on the block, the intensity in his gaze at the water made Piper shiver. Every muscle in his body was carefully sculpted to be on that stand. He was at home.<p>

"Kill it, _kicker_." The blonde boy smiled at Chris, who was stretching his shoulder. Piper was in such a state of shock from hearing the word kicker she blurred the entire event. It felt as if the buzzer went off after Chris finished. The team was in hysteria. He had broken the school record, again. He pulled himself out of the pool and was attacked by overjoyed teammates, yet he held anything but the excitement. His gaze was locked in on an empty seat, in the section specifically reserved for the parents of the varsity team. Someone knocked into him, trying to rally him up in the excitement. He gave a weak smile and shook his coaches hand before sprinting for the locker room. Although she felt intrusive, Piper followed behind him. He yanked his towel down and hit the locker. Chris rubbed the towel over his hair and rest it on his shoulders before sitting on the bench. He could hear the roaring sound of the bleachers get louder as someone opened the door. His head shot up.

"Kicker, hey! That was incredible!" Stan congratulated.

"He promised to be here." Chris gritted through his teeth. "Why did I even believe him?"

"Hey, he's not worth it. Don't let him ruin your race, Chris. Besides, you've got me, and the rest of the team. We stick together, always. Teammates for life, man. That's family. You can count on us, Kicker." Stan sat down across from Chris on the other side of the u-shaped benches. "Come on, lets get back out there. It's you, me, Max, and John in the final relay. We need our anchor. Don't bail on us. We need you. Take your anger out on the water and kick."

Piper was watching in awe. Could this innocent teenager really grow up to let his best friend die? Chris smiled in the memory and head hugged his best friend before going back out. The doorway to the pool led her into another memory. She felt uneasy as the space around her took the shape of her own home. There was an obvious party going on. Piper thought about the possibility of Chris knowing Wyatt, in which she had some serious questioning to ask. The last memory took place in her old school. Had they gone to school together?

"My man! Chris! Over here!" A voice called out over the music. The memory Chris looked away from the girl he was currently talking to in order to see what was going on. His friend Pat, who was a brunette boy in a lacrosse jersey, pulled on his arm. Chris sort of shrugged him off and continued to flirt with the girl until Pat just pulled him away.

"What the hell man?" Chris broke free and shrugged his shoulders.

"Bros before hoes man, and I, a bro, am in need of a partner better than Rick." Pat finished his beer and placed it on the stair. Chris rolled his eyes and followed his friend over to the table, which was carefully set up for beer pong.

"Alright, but your drinking after the first couple. I've to up early tomorrow and I don't need a hangover." He irritably grabbed the ball from his opponent, and current champ, Wyatt. Piper took in the sight of her full-grown boy laughing and having a good time.

"Fine by me." Pat had a grin on his face and tossed first. It went a bit to far to the left and he took a sip. Wyatt made the shot perfectly and smiled. Piper on the other hand was getting mad at her son, clearly breaking the law. Chris grabbed the bottle and took a swing. The game went on pretty even until Chris' cell lit up and he answered it, momentarily pausing the game.

"Hey, dad." Chris said, trying to block out the noise behind him. Wyatt's face fell and studied Chris' conversation intensely. "So tomorrow, what do you have planned? I was thinking we could go to the game or- wait what? Dad… You said- I know it's important, but so is this, I mean… tomorrow? It's my birthday… i know… yeah…whatever, I knew it was too good to be true… yeah, I understand… I'll tell him you say hi… bye."

"Chris I-" Wyatt saw Chris trying to hold back the tears that were coming. He hesitated in going towards his brother, leaving Wyatt with one hand reached towards him.

"s'fine… I'm _fine_. Let's just, let's just keep playing… alright?" Chris avoided Wyatt's concerned look for the remainder of the game. Pat didn't seem to notice anything but that Chris wasn't letting him drink his share anymore. Piper had ambivalence inside her. On one hand, she wanted to smile at how much her son seemed to care about Chris, but on the other she knew something had just happened to Chris. She was so caught up in watching Wyatt she missed Chris leave the room. She searched for him frantically through her own home, horrified by the condition it was in. She found him in the upstairs bathroom gripping the edge of the sink.

There was blood running down his arm and a razor in the sink. Piper brought her hand to her mouth in shock. Chris was hunched over it, frustrated at himself and his father. She could sense he was regretting his recent decision and was giving himself shit for it. He rinsed off his shaking arm and butterfly bandaged it after cleaning the sink before he pulled his sleeve back down and grabbed a bottle of JD and orbed to the flat part of the roof. Piper was fast enough to grab onto him mid orb and was transported there. She was so caught up in his pain she didn't even have time to question how he could orb as a teenager. She couldn't believe the amount of suffering she had seen in the last three scenes. As the next memory started, her stomach churned as she thought of what could possible come.


	3. Codes

Once again thank you so so so much for the kind reviews! I appreciate them greatly! I've been writing like a crazy woman these last few days, so hopefully you all enjoy what I have. Feel free to suggest ideas and/or constructive critism, I just want to improve! :) ps disclaimer still applies from last chapter and over the whole story!

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><p>Her thoughts were interrupted by a piercing scream, even before the memory could fully develop. She followed the shriek down a concrete tunnel, running towards it. At the end of the hall was an open door, leading to her worst nightmare. Chris chained to a stonewall, whip burn marks staining his upper body. His perpetrator remained in the dark while Chris breathed heavily. Using all his strength he tried breaking through the restraints, but all it did was dig the cold metal cuffs into his raw wrists more. This brought attention to the tattooing of a code on his forearms.<p>

"How could you betray me, Chris?" The roar of the attackers voice echoed throughout the room. It was a familiar voice. Chris dropped his head, too tired to keep it lifted. His overgrown bangs fell forward into his eyes. A small drop of water fell in front of Chris. Piper wasn't sure if it was sweat or a tear.

"You killed her. You killed them all. Penny, Patricia, Henry, Melinda…" The last name seemed to be the hardest to say for Chris. Another drop of water came and Piper simply understood it wasn't sweat. Her Whitelighter was in tears, something until this recent trip through memory lane she didn't think was possible. "Why, why… They were family… and you slaughtered them like pigs… WHY?"

"You don't understand, Chris. You're still caught up in the whole good versus evil… It's all about power, now. They were weak." Wyatt stepped out of the shadows and Piper's heart skipped a beat. She shook her head in denial.

"The twins were only eight! God knows what your guards did with Melinda before they killed her…" Chris' body began to tremble. He lifted his head, staring at Wyatt with disgust for a moment before putting it back down.

"If you had just joined me, Chris…" Wyatt smiled. Chris breathed heavily. His lip curled.

"Don't."

"I'm giving you another chance, Chris. No one else has to die. Just come with me." Wyatt offered a hand and looked at his brother's eyes. They were closed eyes. Chris began to laugh. Wyatt was startled at this unusual behavior. As well was Piper.

"Or what?" His laugh was of a mad man. "You have no one else to kill! I'm the only one left! You don't have any leverage over me."

"Don't get too cocky. I can always bet _your_ life." Wyatt was anxious to see if his brother would call his bluff. His rage was growing inside him.

"Ah, yes. But then why waste your time playing this little game of cat and mouse? If my life is really that disposable, why keep me alive all these years? Face it. You need me for something. You've tortured me. You've killed the people I love. Yet I'm still alive. How did I survive the plague, huh? Last I remember I was in an alley, and then I'm in a bed. Fever free. Did a shit job healing me, Wy." He was face to face with his older brother, now. Wyatt had crept forward. "How're your Whitelighter powers holding up? Last time I saw your orb they were dark."

"Don't push your luck, kid." Wyatt spit out. "I'm stronger than you."

"Oh yeah? If you're so sure you're more powerful, why cuff me in the first place? Untie me, Wy. I dare you. We'll see who deserves that sword for real." His tone became serious. He was desperate, but he didn't show it in his voice. "Come on. I'm bleeding and dehydrated. I haven't had something solid to eat in four days. What's the risk? At least humor me."

"You're pathetic." Wyatt took another look at his trapped brother and left the room, not even bothering with the door. Piper was waiting for the next memory to begin, but it wouldn't. She sat down against the cold wall for a few minutes. She was looking at Chris, who stayed motionless until he lifted his head to watch the ceiling. He began to whisper.

"I'm so sorry, mom. This isn't what you wanted. God… god, mom… if you can hear me… I'm sorry… I promise I'll save him… I promise I'll save our family… tell everyone I love them… I swear…I'll save him." She saw a final tear slip from him and then the memory changed. Chris was hunched over an antique wooden desk, carefully studying a document. He took off reading glasses and placed them down next to his work. He took a deep breath and sipped his brandy. Piper almost thought he was a lawyer before a girl walked in.

"Abis abit rabeady?" She was jumpy.

"Yabaeh. Cabalm dabown. Yabou'll gabet abit whaben yabou nabeen abit. Whaby tabhe cabode?" Chris put his glass down and stood up, holding the document. He attached a post it note to it. She shook her head confirming his suspicion of a bug. "Aba paberfect rabeplica, abas yabou wabished."

"_T_ake the key for box 946. _Y_ou'll find it in the left drawer." She winked and then walked over to take the parchment. Chris smiled.

"_P_leasure doing business with you." His voice was drenched in sarcasm.

"_H_ate you too." She sent him a silent air kiss and Piper finally got it. If it starts with a vowel it's true. If not, it's the opposite. The other code was easy enough to crack and was a bit surprised the person listening in couldn't crack it, too. Chris got a pen and scribbled on his hand. 649. He opened his right drawer to find it empty. He pulled the drawer all the way out and flipped it upside down. She'd planted the key on the under side of the drawer. He ripped it off and put it in his inside suit pocket. Chris drained the remaining brandy in his half filled cup and walked out. Piper followed him through the office and down to the mailboxes. She stood confused for a moment. There couldn't be more than a hundred boxes. She watched as Chris counted over six rows and up four. He then subtracted nine from the number of the box and found his new box. The key fit perfectly. Inside it was a small package with a letter attached. Chris read the letter. _Once you find this, I need you to understand what I am about to tell you. For you, N- Ps: Now_

"Mr. Perry, you're under arrest for the forgery of the Declaration of Autarchy." Chris orbed away the package behind his back before bringing his hands above his head. Piper watched them approach Chris with the strangest handcuffs she'd ever see. "And for being unreported."

"Unreported? For what?" Piper blurted. The cop spoke into his walkietalkie.

"Sir, we've got another one. Bringing him in, now." Chris grew anxious. He struggled with the cops as they tried to handcuff him. The cop on the mic came over with a syringe. "Mr. Perry, I really don't want to have to do this."

"I'll go with you guys. Just keep that away from me." He steadied his hands and let them cuff him. Blue orbs went to the cuff, stripping him momentarily of his powers. An old face entered the scene. The girl from upstairs flashed a government issued ID.

"I'll get him the car, I don't want any civilians seeing this. Go find what was in that box." The girl gave them an authoritative look. "Now."

"Yes, ma'am." The cops left without question. The moment they were out of sight, the girl unlocked the handcuffs. Chris absorbed the blue orbs containing his magic.

"Thought I told you to run." She cocked a gun and checked around the corner for anyone.

"Thought I told you I'm not into costumes." He retorted. She smiled, handing him regular handcuffs. "What's this?"

"We've got to stay undercover. You can't go walking around the streets of San Francisco anymore, Chris. He's on to you." He offered his hands and let her cuff him. "Come on, big boy."

"So now what?" He whispered, as they walked through the abandoned lobby.

"Now we go home." She replied, as they blinked out. Piper was immediately transported to their new location. There was cots set up along the wall with a portable fireplace and a cooler full of food. The only other thing in the warehouse was a stretcher with first aid material and a small brown package on the bed to the right. They opened the box together, both eagerly awaiting the material inside. "The copy is with team zero, they're switching them out as we speak. Hopefully, when Wyatt realizes it's a fake you'll be in the past sorting things out before someone is killed."

"Right. So lets get this thing opened." He pulled the drawstring and unwrapped it. They opened the box to see a syringe containing the cure. They were both breathless. "That's it. We reproduce this and… this pandemic is over. Get this out as soon as possible."

"Of course. What are you going to do?" She closed the box carefully and held it.

"They took Cal." He broke the news to Natalie slowly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin. "I got the SOS this morning."

"Chris, I'm so…" She started.

"I heard her in my head while it happened. They ambushed her refugee point. Got away with fifteen. Fifteen witches… All sent to the camps." He shut his eyes. "She told me to flip for it. Heads I continued with the plan. Tails and I go help her. Let fate decide, she said."

"Be careful," She swallowed heavy. "I hear they -"

"I know, but I have to risk it. Natalie, I promised Mel I'd look after Cal." He brushed his hand through his hair. "Fifteen witches… waiting to be burned. I can't let this happen. Not Cal… The least I can do is keep my sister's best friend alive."

"Just… remember what's at stake. Chris, if you don't go back to the past to save him… is she wort-"

"Shut up and do your job. I'm still in charge here. Until I leave you're still second in command. Now, if you'd excuse me I need to change to go get Cal."


	4. Never Again

A/N: Hey guys I am so sorry fo the long delay, my computer broke and I lost everything. On top of that, I had to go out and get a new computer, which took some time, and then I found out my old computer could be fixed so I had to send it in and that took a long time, so yeah... so sorry again- hope you enjoy (this is my favorite chapter, it's totally sad btw) Disclaimer still stands

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><p>Piper was starting to hate memory lane. Once again the air smelled of burning flesh and it was making her stomach turn. She could hear someone scream from a distance. She recognized the grey tunnel from a previous memory and wondered if it were the same one. When she saw Chris she prepared for the worst. He was holding a gun, but other than that he seemed to look relatively normal. Piper wondered if Whitelighters were allowed to use guns. "Damn it, Cal, where are you?" He mumbled, making his way down the halls. Piper stayed close, behind him.<p>

They made their way further underground. With every flight of stairs they went down, the smell of burning was replaced with filth. The stench was so revolting, even Chris pulled a black buff up to cover his nose. Piper thought it made him look like a ninja, but then laughed at her own immaturity. He finally chose a floor to exit on. The smell was relatively gone on this floor and Piper took in a deep breath of clean air. The walls were pure white and shined. This floor looked more like a lab than the prison camps above. It was a rectangular room and the walls were cells. In the center there was an operating table. Piper noticed the same green glow around the crowning of the cell doors that was on the handcuffs the cops used on Chris. Chris stopped in front of the archway to the room and hesitated. The moment he steps into the room he's would be detected as a witch and fifty Wyatt demons would shimmer down to his destruction.

He looked down at the cuff on his wrist and fiddled with its settings. She watched as orbs went to the cuff. Piper suddenly understood. He must have reprogrammed a pair of handcuffs to strip his powers at will so he could go on undetected. He smirked and walked into the room without a problem. He cocked his gun and gripped it nervously, as it was his only form of defense now. He went to every cell and clicked the defog button for the viewing glass on each. Piper began to cry seeing the deformed bodies, some half transformed, some in bandages, written on, etc. Everyone had a cuff similar to Chris' on their wrists, but the kind that bound their hands (or talons in some cases). There were labels on each of them, some sort of code tattooed on. Each one was drug induced and out cold. She could see the frustrated and disgusted look on Chris' face. How could someone do this to living beings? He made the mistake of pressing the defog button on a large cell. In it, piled up dead bodies of the unsuccessful experiments.

Chris' body began to shake and his breath became short. Pressed up to the glass was a teenage girl with stone cold, dead blue eyes. All her hair had been shaven for the procedure. Her face haunted Chris. A distinctive birthmark on her ribs below her breast confirmed her identity. "Cal..." Chris let out his last tears ever during this scene, for this was his turning point. The day he refused to show any emotion, because if he chose to give in he knew he could only feel pain.

He retraced his path in order to exit the internment camp, being far more careless. He made it out alive and stood outdoors of the facility, shaking his head at the black smoke coming from right wing. He wondered which witch they had caught and orbed away. The orb brought Piper into a new memory, though she wasn't sure how much more she could take. Chris in this memory seemed to be much younger than the last, but still older than the boy she had seen swimming by just a few months. He was lying on a carpeted floor, staring at the ceiling.

"I'm telling you, something is going on. Magic wasn't supposed to the public knowledge... and these stupid ID cards? I can't go anywhere with out being asked if I'm mortal. You know the other day I was told I may not be able to graduate because of 'my condition'?"

"That's ridiculous, Chris. Everyone's just trying to figure everything out. It's a bit of a shock. Last month the boogie man became an actual possibility to us. Not everyone gets the whole good and evil thing. I'm sure it'll calm down. I mean there have to moderate mortals. Look at me? No way do I think you're a monster, Chris." Stan replied. "Have you talked to Wyatt about it all yet?"

"Nah, I haven't had a chance. Ever since the exposure he's been really off. I don't want to bother him. My aunts aren't helping, either. They've got too much stuff to deal with now that demons are attacking in broad daylight. I just… this is how it always starts…"

"How what starts?"

"ID cards, that shit radio claiming all of us are out to kill, the government setting up check points around the cities… I'm scared, Stan. I'm scared. I got laid off at work this morning because they thought it would be bad for business if someone like me worked there. God damn it…" Chris shut his eyes tight, hoping to calm down. Every survival instinct in his body was on alert. He'd been in history long enough to know what the next step is in the sequence. Extermination. He started standing up to go. "I should leave… you're dad wasn't too happy about me staying here tonight. I don't want you to get in trouble-"

"No. Chris, you're my best friend. I don't care what my dad says. You've never done anything wrong and I have a house not being monitored. You're staying here until this quiet down."

"What if they come after you? For helping?"

"Chris, this isn't 1945 Germany. It's modern day San Francisco! You're talking like-" Stan cut himself off, finally understanding what Chris has been saying. He froze, dropping his head to his hands. "Shit."

"Still want me here?" Chris leveled his voice. Stan starred at his friend. "If anything, I want you here more. I won't let them take you, Chris. I won't let them strip you of your powers or put you in prison or… or kill you. That's not what friends do."

"Thank you." He brought his friend into a hug and ran a hand through his hair. "So now what?"

"Let's unpack." The memory fast-forwarded a few days of Chris' life to the school. He was sitting outside the dean's office with his forehead pressing into his hands, elbows to knees, and feet into the floor. A girl came out of the office crying, and Chris automatically looked up to find his sister. She collapsed into his arms before the dean came out and told them to leave the property. Chris flicked him off and orbed out, leaving the principal quivering in fear. They reappeared on the golden gate bridge. Chris comforted his sister.

"I'm scared." She looked to her brother.

"Me too, Mel. Me too." He held her tight. His brain was stil racing from the event of the day, from being told he could no longer come to school to sexual abuse his sister had received from the boys in her class- just for being half witch. They laughed. They thought it was funny to watch her squirm. He wanted to protect her as much as he could, but he didn't know how and that scared him more than anything else. Piper felt for the siblings. The image faded away, leaving Piper in her attic to soak everything in.

She could hear her sister's still bickering in the background and birds chirping outdoors. There was a pleasant scent in the air. It wasn't until Paige walked in that she realized she was trembling. Chris was back at the club's back room trying to piece together when Piper would be back, based on the memories the spell let her see. He took a sip of beer and sat down on the couch, kicking he feet up on the boxes in front of him. He figured he'd pay for it later, but depending on Piper's reaction it could end up being the last day in the past. They just don't make booze like this anymore, he thought. It was a suicide mission trying to get any in the past. It was only legal for government officers and that made it very tricky to get rebel hands on. He looked down at his watch and figured Piper should be barging in soon. Instead, he found Leo orbing down to see him.

"Leo? What are you doing here?" He placed a bit too much emphasis on the word you, and it made his father suspicious.

"Why? Expecting somebody else?" Leo studied Chris carefully, especially as his son was hiding the alcohol. "Are you drinking? If the sisters need you-"

"God you sound like my dad. I know what I'm doing. Trust me… You really think I'm stupid enough to get drunk with you following me around all the time?"

"Trust you? You haven't earned that yet." Leo starred him down. Chris was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable and Leo's strange behavior. Both of their heads snap to the doorway when they hear Piper entering the club. Chris smirked as Leo orbed away. Chris took another sip until he was interrupted by Piper. She stood standing in the doorframe. He put the bottle down and she looked at him, carefully. He swallowed heavy and avoided her gaze.

"Chris… We need to talk."


End file.
